BENGALURU: Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s pet project -- the twin-tunnel road from Hebbal to Silk Board -- will now be on another sticky wicket. It is likely to face legal hurdles as the project violates Supreme Court orders on the protection of water bodies.
The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has got clearance from the Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority (KTCDA) to divert 3.45 acre of Hebbal Lake land for the project. But the Supreme Court orders clearly state that all wetland and water bodies must be protected and not diverted for any other purposes.
The apex court orders specify that any water body spanning over 2.25 acre is considered a wetland. If one applies this yardstick, 14,000 wetlands in the state fall under the category. But most of them are not protected by the state government, said experts who are now working on approaching courts.
Prof TV Ramachandra from the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) said KTCDA and BDA should take permission from the Karnataka Wetlands Authority (KWA).
No nod sought from wetland authorities: BDA official
Prof Ramachandra said the Authority should further send the file to the Wetland Authority of India and the National Wetlands Committee for discussion and approval before the project is taken up. The approval that has already been given is a violation of the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2010 and 2017, he said.
“Due procedures have not been followed. This hurried act in the guise of ignorance is a clear violation of the court orders and rules. Portions of Hebbal Lake have been encroached. Now opening it for the tunnel road project will lead to further destruction of the water body,” he said. He is also a member of the Wetlands Authority of India and the National Wetlands Committee.
KWA officials said that no file has been sent to them till date seeking approval for the project, while those in KTCDA said they are not aware of the issue.
A senior KTCDA official said, “Permission was given for using lake land downstream of Hebbal Lake for the underground project with conditions. I am not aware of the clearance from the Wetlands Authority.”
He said the file was sent back to BDA twice seeking clarification. BDA first approached KTCDA on June 29, 2026, while the second communication was made on July 17. KTCDA gave its approval on July 23, 2026.
A BDA official said, “Permission obtained from KTCDA is sufficient. No permission has been sought from the wetland authorities. KTCDA came into existence in 2014 and it is a state body and that was why it was approached. The Greater Bengaluru Authority is the custodian of Hebbal Lake and they should look into these issues.”